Pierrot
by LiulfrKeahi
Summary: AU. Pierrots clowns do tricks, make jokes, play pretend for their audience, but what do they do when they have none? What are they like in their daily lives? Seen mostly in an audience POV, sometimes in a pierrot POV
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 01: Their First Meeting**

Mina's POV

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon and its characters. I only own this fanfic and the plot.

* * *

"Mina, dear, behave!"

"You aliens dare tried to attack our planet? You'll pay for it! Take that!"

"Mina! What did I tell you about not behaving in others' homes?"

"Bang! Bang!"

"Mina Aino!"

"Bang! Bang! Ka-boom!"

A blonde woman in her early thirties let out a long sigh.

"Sorry about the commotion I brought. I don't know who she gets it from," the woman let out a weak laugh. Her friend, the woman with raven hair, merely chuckled.

"If I recall our childhood, she is exactly like you, Minerva. Besides, it's normal for children to be like that, playful and lively. I wish my Raye was more like that."

"Ha! You seem to be quite a challenge! Take my next attack!"

* * *

I was about to die of boredom until Mom had asked me if I wanted to follow her. She said she was going to a friend's house. Normally, I would refuse and rather find something to do at Serena's house. I mean, come on! What's more boring than seeing two older women drinking tea and drinking tea along with them? But this was different. Mom also said that her friend had a daughter of my age. I remembered Mom telling me to behave, and I was at first! _But_ when we arrived at the house, there was no such girl! That woman had tricked me again! She always lectures on and on about lying and why I shouldn't lie. But the thing is, she **always** lies to me! One time, she left me at Grandma's house and said she would be back to pick me up. She didn't. Another time, she promised me to buy everything I wanted as her way of apologizing. She didn't. She only bought me one lousy doll.

Anyways, I got **really** bored of listening to Mom and her friend talking. I excused myself and went to look at the living room. Nothing particular was there. So I went into the nearest room. Guess what I found? Cool toys! Some were even the ones that I wanted! This must be the sanctuary of toys of this house! I dived into the mass of toys and started to play with them, ignoring Mom. Ha! You can tell me to behave all you want! I am _so_ not listening to you today! Well… at least for the moment. Why? Because Mom is not at all scary as she is when we're at home. She's a lot louder and quicker. If I was doing this at our home, then Mom would probably had already scolded me and sat me in the detention chair. So! If you'll excuse me, I'm busy playing! I giggled and whipped the alien toys with a toy whip. I heard the door creak open. Uh-oh. Could it be Mom finally to scold me?

I gulped, and looked behind my back. What… no, who I found was not Mom, but a girl with raven hair like Mom's friend. She must be the girl Mom had talked about earlier. She stared at me. Wow, she has purple eyes. Then she stared at my hands and the toys.

Then suddenly, she cried! How did that just happen? I don't know. She really just started to cry!

Her cries brought the mommies into the room. Her mother seemed to cuddle her. My mom was… great. _Now_ I'm in trouble. Big-time. No, relax, Mina. Be cool. You didn't do anything wrong.

I walked over to Mom's side.

She whispered to me, _"Why is Raye crying?"_

I whispered back, _"I don't know. She just did."_

Raye must be the girl's name. It's pretty, like her eyes and hair and everything.

Mom asked Raye why she was crying.

"Raye, why are crying?"

"My friend… my friend…" Raye half-talked and half-cried.

Wait a minute, friend? I'm the only one who's the same age as her. Mom did call her as my friend. Hmm… maybe Raye knew I was coming? So I guess she means me?

I smiled, wondering what Raye would say about me.

"That girl hit my friends with the whip!" Raye shouted. She started to cry fully again.

What is she talking about? I only hit the alien toys with the whip. Oh… she can't be saying that those _toys_ are her friends, right? I was about to explain myself when Mom talked first.

"Apologize to Raye, _**now**_."

"… No."

"Mina!"

"But why!" I whined, "I did nothing wrong!"

"Mina Aino, you will do your usual punishment right here in this spot."

"But-"

"No buts, young lady. I will be back by five minutes. Think about what you did wrong."

"But I didn't do anything!"

"Mina, didn't you hear what Mommy just said?"

Mom gave me a smile but I knew that there was a vicious thing behind it. I smiled back.

"Yes, I did Mommy."

"Good, now do the punishment."

"Okay!"

I kneeled and lifted my arms straight into the air, not moving from this position. Once Mom and her friend went out, I glared at Raye. How dare she make me do this awful punishment again!

Raye didn't seem to realize my death glares as she put the aliens back in place.

"Sorry I couldn't save you when you received an attack from an evil blonde."

Am not. I am not an evil blonde.

Raye continued to care for the alien toys. Each time I let out a sarcastic sigh or laugh or any other sound.

Raye let down one of the crow aliens and turned to look at me. Uh… oh… I could see the tears swell in her eyes again. I clasped my hands over my big fat mouth. I pleaded to her silently to not cry.

"Mommy!" She wailed.

Too late.

Out of anger, I pounced onto Raye. I was about to scare her when Mom dragged me off of her. Hey, she called for **her** mom not you.

"Mina Aino, what did I tell you to do?"

"Er… my usual punishment?"

"And what were you doing?"

"Um… that?"

"And?"

"And…" I glanced at Raye, who was being cuddled by her mom again, "making Raye cry?"

"So it will be just only if you do your usual punishment more than usual, right?"

No.

"…."

"Mina, darling…"

I gulped. I smiled weakly and said, "Right."

"Good, then you will do it for the next fifteen minutes."

"Yes, ma'am."

Mom and her friend went out of the room and I was stuck in this miserable position with crybaby Raye.

"See, everyone? That's what happens to villains. They get punished. So you mustn't do bad things," Raye laughed, for the first time.

Hmmph. I'm miserable and she laughs. I wanted to show her a piece of me, but I knew what would come after if I did so. The ultimate spanking. I closed my eyes and shuddered out of fear. I opened my eyes to see how much time had passed. But instead, I met face to face with Raye. I cringed. Yipes, when did she get so close?

"What's your name?"

"…."

None of your concern, really.

"Nega-blonde? That name really suits for a villain like you."

"…."

Talk about making names. She just copied the villain names of the TV Show, Sailor Moon. And I am **not** a villain!

"How old are you? You look younger than me."

"…."

I am nine years old, just like you, you crybaby.

"Do your arms hurt? They're all wobbly."

"…."

Thanks to you.

* * *

Raye kept asking me random questions. I didn't answer any of them because I was angry with her. I've never done this punishment for so long. Is fifteen minutes really that long? I don't know. My arms hurt. I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I didn't want to cry in front of _her_. It would be humiliation. I heard voices approaching the room. The door opened and Mom saw me. She gasped and lowered my arms.

"Oh, my! Look at the time! The room was so quiet, I thought you two were playing with each other."

"Ms. Aino?" Raye spoke up. Great, what other mean thing does she have to say?

"Hmm?"

"Mina didn't lower her arms. Not even once."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. She was a good girl."

I didn't like how Raye talked as if I was younger than her, but… it felt nice, too. Weird.

"Well, then I guess she finally knows what she did wrong."

"It's okay. Kids are like that."

Hello, miss? You're a kid, too.

"You're absolutely right, Raye. Since you're big girl, forgive Mina. Mina, shouldn't you say sorry, too?"

Why should I?

I shot death glares at Raye with my eyes that were swelled with tears. I didn't say anything. I just ran out of the house. I was about to run to my house, but… I don't the way. Shitake mushrooms. I waited outside for Mom to come out.

* * *

Mom came out, took my hand, and walked home.

"Mina, are you angry at Mommy?"

"…."

"Aww, you are! Mommy's sorry for making you do the punishment longer. I thought you would just lower your arms on your own."

"…."

"Still angry? Mina, you shouldn't be angry for so long."

"I am not!"

We stopped walking after I shouted.

"I'm not angry! I'm… It… just… my arms hurt."

"Your arms?"

"I couldn't talk because my arms hurt so much." I burst into tears.

"Aww…. Do your arms hurt because of Mommy?"

"… Sort of," I sniffled.

"I'm sorry, dear. Come here."

Mom hugged me still I stopped crying. Once I stopped crying, Mom picked me up and carried me the way home. She also talked to me about Raye on the way.

"Mina, do you know why Raye calls the toys her friends?"

"No…."

"It's because she doesn't have any real friends."

"She doesn't?"

"No, she doesn't have real friends like you have Serena, Amy, and Lita."

"How come?"

"Raye used to be very sick when she was younger. She had to go the hospitals that you are scared of."

"Raye's sick…?"

"Not now. Raye's mommy said she's healthy now, but she's unable to fit in schools. She's very shy, too."

"Shy? Like Amy?"

"Yes," Mom smiled, "like Amy."

"Oh…"

"Mina, do you like it if someone had hurt Serena, Amy, or Lita?"

"No."

"Would Raye like it if someone had hurt _her_ friends?"

"No…"

"Will you apologize to Raye the next time we visit?"

"Okay…"

"That's my big girl."

* * *

::Author's Note::

tee-hee

i had fun with this chappie, talking like mina xD

why is rei a crybaby, you ask? well... think of it this way

we know that she got the cold/colder personality after her mother passed away, right?

well, i thought, "maybe she was a bit more cuddlier when her mother was still alive and her personality changed because of the shock and evrything"

i like this type of rei i just made, do you? ;)

plz R&R, and thx for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 02: Start of a New Relation**

Mina's POV

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon and its characters. I only own this fanfic and the plot.

* * *

"Hey."

I walked to Raye. I thought she would flinch out of fear, but she was rather calm to my surprise. For some reason, I wanted her to be somewhat frightened. Hmm, I think that's because she – I hate to admit it – is cuter when she's a bit scared. Ah well, here goes nothing.

"I didn't mean to hurt your um, friends before. I really didn't!" I shook my hands in front of her for emphasis. To my surprise, she laughed. Wow, she really is pretty when she laughs.

"If you're asking me to forgive you," Raye paused and looked at me. I saw her purple eyes again. I think I'm falling into those again. Wait, I'm not blushing am I? I hope not. "You didn't have, too," she finished.

"Huh? How come?" I went through all sorts of trouble to apologize to her, and she's not accepting? How am I supposed to accept that! I pouted. It's not fair. I did my punishment, heard all sorts of stories about her, felt a wee bit sorry for her, and came all the way to her house to apologize… I got ready to pounce on her right before she said her answer.

"Because I'm the one who should apologize," she said.

Oh. Okay, that wasn't the kind of answer I was expecting.

"You got in trouble because of me, right?"

Well, I did, but I thought I – sort of – deserved that.

"I'm sorry," she bowed to me, whoa, wait, bowing? We're still kids! "Will you forgive me for the harm I had caused?"

"Harm? What harm? You didn't cause any harm! I did! That's why _I'm_ apologizing!" I grabbed both of Raye's hands and made her stand up. I can't believe what I'm thinking of doing, but… ah, screw it! I gave Raye a big hug and squeezed her a bit. She hesitated about something at first, but she gave me a hug, too – which was, actually rather comforting. We just stood like that for a few minutes. I didn't notice the awkwardness between us till Raye started to say something.

"Um… so, am I forgiven?"

"Forgiven? Forgiven! Of course you are! Though, you didn't really do anything to ask for forgiving whatsoever," I said. I held her shoulders tight and looked her straight in the eye… not those eyes again. I can literally feel myself drowning in them! Oh, wait, her face is, surprised. Aw, she looks cute when she's surprised! I giggled.

"So! Now that's all done, are we friends now?" I asked.

"Friends?" Raye asked back.

I giggled again. She really is cute when she makes that confused face. "Yep, friends!" I smiled at her, and… yay! She smiled back! Okay, maybe she is a crybaby and screwed me a lot when we first met, but I think I already like her. Hehehe…

"Oh, yeah! Let me introduce my other friends to you, Raye!"

"M-more friends?"

I remembered Mom telling me that Raye was as shy as Amy was. Maybe she was nervous? But why? I didn't bring them, I… oh. So _that's_ why she was nervous. Hehe, I smile mischievously at her. What? I won't miss a good teasing when I can.

"Uh-huh, _more_ friends," I made sure I emphasized the m word. I slowly walked to the door, pretending to open the door wide open. Then, I spread my arms wide, and pounced on her. "Hyah!" I shouted.

"Agh!" She groaned under me. "What did you that for!" Aw, she's pouting. "For fun!" I answered with a smile, "Ta-da!" I showed her the picture of me, Serena, Lita, and Amy. "These are my friends. The blonde one with _really_ long piggy tails is Serena. She's like this pig who can eat anything. She is a crybaby… like, you!" I teased. Raye pouted again and grumbled something that I couldn't really make out. I leaned closer to her face and asked, "What did you just say?" I saw Raye huff and blush – which was really cute, by the way. "Am not," she said. "Am not what?" I asked again. Still blushing, she huffed again – cute! "I'm not a crybaby," she grumbled.

"Pffft!" I let out a laugh, half-trying to keep it in. Yeah, you not a crybaby? Sure fooled me. Wiping out my happy tears – tears that come out when I laugh too much – I continued to tell Raye who's who.

"Serena may be pretty much of a pain in the, er," I think I shouldn't use the 'a' word in front of Raye, "neck, but she's really a great friend. Okay, the tallest girl with the brown hair is Lita. Her dad's this chef whose food is just the best! Lita gets cooking lessons from him and she can't cook a lot, but she can cook! Lucky genes, if you ask me. Lita also learns martial arts. Whenever there's trouble, you can always count on her. The shortest one is Amy. She's the total genius! Amy's dad is a dentist, so we get our tooth picked at his place. Hate tooth picking, but he gives us the best lollipops afterwards, so it's okay, hehe. Her mom's a doctor at Juban Hospital, so if we get sick or something, we can just go to Amy's mom. But for small scratches and stuff, Amy takes care of us. She's shy like you, but really sweet. I think you two would get along the best. Then again, Amy's already like the best of best friends with Lita. Hmm, then I guess you could be my best of best friend!"

"Uh, then what about Serena? Aren't you two best friends?" Raye asked.

"Well, all four of us are best friends, but we all have only **one** best of best friend," I pointed out my right index finger for emphasis, "there's this boy on our block that Serena _says _she hates the most, but I think those two just can't be without each other. And for Lita and Amy… I can't really explain. It's kind of like Serena and Darien, oh, that's the boy's name, only they don't go for each other's throat. Heck, they hardly fight. So! It's not a problem, right?"

"Considering I have to be best of best friends with _you_," Raye pointed at me, "that's the biggest problem of all."

"Hey! Take this opportunity as one of the best opportunities you could get! Besides, I think we'd make a great pair," I huffed and crossed my arms in front of her. Well, it's true. I'm one of the popular kids at school! People consider themselves lucky to have me as a friend. Suddenly, Raye did something unexpected – she laughed. I looked at her in confusion. Did she go wacko up in her head?

"I wonder how you got to that conclusion, but," she paused. But what? What? "Don't you think what you've stated would be more reliable if you let me up?" Up? "Ah!" I gasped as I backed off of Raye. I was pinning her to the ground all this time? Wait, is that a bad thing? _I _really didn't mind it – didn't even notice, because I was so comfortable. Then again, what I like doesn't really mean that it's a _good_ thing, either. Not to mention, something like this seems familiar to me. Why… oh right. The first time I met Raye, I didn't really do anything wrong – not really knowing about anything, but Raye just started to cry. Yeah, sure, she had her reasons. But… oh crackers, she's not going to start crying now, is she? I nervously turned around to see Raye's tears, but there were none.

"Huh?" I said out loud. Ack, too loud, mouth!

"What?"

"I, uh, you, tears," I stumbled over my words. Uh, but why am I trying to explain everything to her in the first place? "Ah, screw it," I said. I sat more comfortably in Indian style, facing Raye. Raye? She just sat rather uncomfortably in my opinion: she was kneeling on her knees. "Fine, we'll start off as just friends, but I _swear_ that we **are** going to end up as best of best friends!"

* * *

(A few weeks later)

I went to Raye's house, only this time, with all of my other friends, too. For the past few weeks I kept going to Raye's house. I think she opened up to me. And that's a good thing, just in case Raye doesn't really talk well with the others. The girls and I met in front of my house and we walked together to Raye's. I called her that I'd be coming to play as usual, but I didn't tell her that I'd be coming _alone_. I sniggered. Yep, this is the best prank ever!

"Mina," Lita started to say, "Why are you sniggering?"

"Oh, nothing," I hummed, stopping in front of Raye's house. "We're here!" I said as I pushed the door bell. "Oh? Mina, dear, I didn't think you'd be here so fast," Raye's mom said. Huh, that's weird. Usually it's Raye who opens the door, because her mom is at work. "And who are the lovely three ladies behind you?" she asked. Oh! Where are my manners – to quote Mom – I should have introduced them! "This is Serena, Amy, and Lita. They are my friends and I thought it would be nice for them to be friends with Raye, too. It's okay, right?" I asked.

"Of course, it is. Why would it not be? Come in, come in!"

As we walked in, Raye's mom told us where to wait and where Raye was. "I thought you wouldn't arrive until an hour later, so I told Raye to take a shower. I'll get you girls some snacks to eat while you wait."

"Thank you, Mrs. Hino!" We said together. Raye's mom went out and we waited in Raye's room.

"Wow! Look at all of these cool toys!" Serena said, running to them. Uh-oh, she's going to touch them. And if she's the Serena I know, she's bound break whatever she touches sooner or later. And I know _exactly_ how Raye would react.

"Uh, Serena, I think you should," before I ended my sentence, Raye's mom came back in.

"Here you go girls, popcorn, chocolate chips, and strawberry milk. I'm sorry it's not much," she said.

"Whoo-hoo! Chocolate chips!" Serena shouted, dashing back to her seat. Phew, no incident of crybaby Raye would be happening. Great timing, Mrs. Hino! "Thank you, Mrs. Hino! We're very grateful!" she said, already munching into the chips. Raye should better hurry up that shower of hers or else she won't be able to get any of these really delicious-looking snacks. I don't think I would be able to eat any either if I don't barge in soon. The rest of us said our thank-you's more politely than the current eating pig.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile. I guess Raye's smile came from her. "Oh, and Mina? Could you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"If Raye happens to ask where I am, just tell her that I had an errand at the bank, okay?"

"Ooh, okay! But, where are you really going?"

"You are one smart little girl, aren't you?"

I giggled. Usually it's Amy who's told good things about being smart. It felt good to be called smart. Hmm, maybe that's why Amy studies a lot.

"Well, you see, tomorrow is Raye's birthday, and I wanted to get her a surprise gift. Cover for me?"

"Okay! You can count on me!" I said, showing her my victory V sign. Raye's mom said thank you and went out.

"We food prow a far tee for Raye!" Serena said, or rather mumbled. How can she talk with all of that food in her mouth? Ugh, pig.

"What did you say?" Lita, Amy, and I asked.

"I said," Serena gulped down the chunk of food by drinking milk, "we should throw a party for Raye!"

"A party?" Amy said.

"Uh-huh! Her mommy did say it was her birthday tomorrow!"

"Yeah, but, Serena," Lita said, "We aren't really her friends yet."

"But," Serena whined – ugh, not that! "Mina is friends with her, and we're her friends! That makes us her friends, too!"

"Mina?"

Uh, that's not the voice of any of us in the room, and the only person in this house is,

"Hi, Raye," I said, shaking. I was so into how Serena could do two irritating things at the same time, I didn't even notice the door open! Oh, no! Raye has that scared face again! No, no, no! I was supposed to bring three good friends, introduce them to Raye, and make them friends. I was **not** supposed to show one wacko friend and two friends trying to restrain her. What do I do? What do I do?

'You just do it, Mina. You can do it,' my conscience said, or so I think it was that who said it.

"These are my friends. They're nice, really! It's just, Serena is a bit wacko. You remember that when I showed her picture, right?"

"I am not wacko!" Heck, yeah, Serena. Keep whining like that and you'll prove to be the worst wacko ever in the universe!

"Sorry, I wanted them to know you, and make it a good surprise," I whispered into Raye's ear. Oh, please don't start the waterworks. "I didn't mean anything weird, Raye!" I added. Raye looked at me with a weird look and just laughed. Huh? Laughed?

"It's okay, Mina," she said. "I was just surprised to see you and, well, everyone else. I mean, look at me! I just got out of the bathroom." Raye giggled. I was a bit surprised that Raye wasn't about to cry, not that I wanted that to happen, of course, but, seeing her giggle just made me relieve. Phew!

"Sorry for the surprise. I'm Lita." Lita held out her hand for a handshake. "Raye Hino." Raye shook Lita's hand. It was just a handshake, but why am I jealous at Lita? Hmm. Need some research on this one.

"I'm Amy Mizuno. Pleased to see meet you, Raye," Amy said with a smile. "Uh, same here." Raye smiled, but rather awkwardly. I wonder… oh. "Her parents are the dentist and doctor, so she has this thing to speak more like adults," I whispered. Raye made an 'O' shape with her mouth. Cute!

"I'm Serena! I'm so happy to be your friend, Raye!" Serena jumped onto Raye for a hug. Okay, I'm not just jealous, but angry-jealous. Weird. Anyway, Serena should better get her hold off of Raye. Raye seems to be suffocating – and I mean it! Seeing no movement, I deliberately pushed Serena off. Before she could whine on how mean I was and blah-blah, I said, "So! How about we go to the playground? There's five of us, so I think playing outside will be better."

"I'm for it! Let's go!" Serena zoomed out of the house. Lita and Amy laughed as they followed her. Now it was me and Raye. I tugged her arm a bit. "Come on, Raye!"

"But Mina, I've never been to the playground, and," Raye started to say, but I cut her off.

"Well, then let's go outside and make your first time perfect! I promise Raye, it'll be fun!"

"But, Mina,"

"No buts! And that's final!" I used my mom's words on Raye. Ooh, that was fun. I should do it again sometime.

"Okay, but at least let me write down a note so my mom won't be worried when she finds out I'm not at home."

Oh, so that was the problem.

"Aw," I cooed, "Aren't you the good girl?"

"Shu-shut up," Raye blushed. I guess Raye does know some of that language.

Once Raye was done with the note, I half-dragged Raye out to the playground. Guess what? We _did_ have fun! Especially Raye. I think she especially enjoyed hide and seek. She was a good hider _and_ seeker! It's hard to find all of us, since all of us were good hiders, but she found us really quickly! I wonder how she did that. Note to self: find out Raye's trick at seeking later. After all the fun, I saw the sun starting to go down, which meant we should be home for our dinners. Aw, man. I haven't had this much fun since I met Raye! I mean, she's fun to be with, and I like being with her. But it isn't the same playing inside with playing outside. Oh, well, I guess I have to convince Raye to play again tomorrow. Hehe, yeah, that'll be great!

* * *

(The Next Day)

**_Ding-dong!_**

I pressed the door bell to Raye's house, which was a bit difficult because I had a big present box in my other hand. Raye's mom opened the door again. My, I'm seeing her a lot this week. Oh? She looks tired. Maybe because of work?

"Hi, Mrs. Hino!" Ah, Serena, the loudest as always.

"Oh. Hello, girls. I'm sorry, but I don't think now's a good time."

Before Serena could say anything, Amy talked first. Nice move, Ames! "We're sorry for the sudden visit, Mrs. Hino. Please tell Raye that we came by?" Yep, definitely leave it to Amy to wrap up things nicely.

"Um, we brought birthday presents. We heard that it was her birthday today and…" Lita said.

"I will give them, um…"

"Oh, it's Lita, Mrs. Hino."

"Thank you, Lita, and everyone else for the presents."

"Why is today a bad time?" Serena asked. Okay, I was curious, too, but you don't really ask those things. For once, I'm grateful for Serena's blunt attitude.

"I think she had too much fun yesterday. She caught a cold."

"Oh…"

A cold? Then I just realized: Raye was just out of the shower before we went out, and I dragged her out before she could dry her hair. There's still a bit of chill air, even though it's April. Since Raye's hair was wet… oh, it's my fault that she's sick. The girls started to walk away, but I stood still. Of course, everyone looked at me.

"Um, Mrs. Hino? Could I see Raye just for a sec?"

Raye's mom made a surprised face at first, but she soon smiled and said, "Of course, Mina. You know where to find her, right?"

I nodded. I told the girls I'd meet them at Serena's house later and ran to Raye's room. I panted from the run and saw Raye lying in her bed. Her face was red and swamped with sweat. How sick is she? Now I feel **really** bad. I touched Raye's face. It felt hot. Because of me, Raye is sick. Because of me… because of… I felt tears swell up in my eyes. No, I'm not a crybaby. I can't cry in front of my friend. But, seeing Raye sick like this just makes me want to cry. And I did. I squeezed Raye's hand as I let my tears fall.

"Mina?"

I sniffled. "Hey, Raye."

"What are you doing here? Wha- why are you crying?" Raye sat up.

"I am not, and your towel fell from your head."

"Yes you are, and screw where my towel is. You're crying. What's wrong?" Raye came closer to me. I could feel her hot temperature. I cried a bit more. "You- sick- I made you sick."

"You didn't," she said.

"I did! If I didn't make you play at the playground yesterday, you wouldn't have to be sick on your birthday!"

"How did you know today was my birthday?" she asked.

"Your," I sniffled again, "mom told us."

"Oh, I see," Raye said, then she sighed. "Mina? Will you look at me?"

I did, while I tried to stop crying. Raye cupped my face with her hands and wiped away my tears. That felt, comforting and… warm.

"When I was younger, I was sick just because my body was weak," Yeah, I know. My mom told me about that.

"I hated being sick because I didn't like that my body was weak," …sorry for making you sick, something you hate.

"I'm sick now, but not because I'm weak. I'm not that weak baby I used to be. I'm sick because I just had too much fun. Thanks for the fun yesterday, Mina, I mean it." I, what?

"So don't feel sorry about my cold, okay?"

"O-okay."

"Good. So, is that the only reason you came by?"

"Oh! Um, no! Ah… ah!" I found the box beside me and hid it behind my back. "Close your eyes!"

"Mina, I already saw the box," Raye pouted. Cute!

"Close it or lose it!"

"Fine," Raye sighed and closed her eyes.

I brought the box back in front of her. "Okay! Open them!"

She did and looked at me. Hey, you're supposed to look at the present not me! I shook the present for emphasis. She smiled and took it. I stared at her while she opened my gift. She gasped. I giggled. I gave her a photo book written, 'Mina and Raye' on the front.

"That's where we're going to keep all of our memories. From being just friends to the best of best friends!" I said.

Raye looked at me with a slightly open mouth.

"Mina, I don't know what to say."

"Well, you could say the two word thing," I giggled.

Raye smiled. Before I knew it, she leaned over and kissed on my cheek. I blushed. No one has ever done that to me, other than my parents! Raye blushed and said, "Thank you."

The kiss was surprising, but I'm not denying that it felt nice. I smiled and said, "You're welcome."

I bet I blushed the most on this day.

* * *

:: Author's Note ::

finally an update! *gives a pat on the back*

i myself am pretty happy with this lol

as for the fluff at the end... i think i over did it...

i was so concentrated on the fluff, by the time i was done, i just realized: "oh crap, they're only nine."

oh well, this means they'll be more fluffy once they are officially lovers in their later years lol

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

many thanks to**: xXMiMiXx**, **fate not destiny**, **jedicaro**, **DarthRockGod**, **water mixed flame**

for your reviews on the previous chapter:)


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